Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?
by Bemzi
Summary: Skye has been on the run from many secret organisation her entire life, but after accidentally bumping into Agent Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. she finds out how S.H.I.E.L.D. aren't the bad guys and how they are trying to help her. This is her story where she finds somewhere to call home and people to call family…
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Marvel's Avengers.

**Chapter One ~ Maybe They're Not So Bad**

I was hurrying through Midtown Manhattan streets, the moonlight guiding me, when I ran, literally, into a tall man wearing a dark grey suit.

"Oh, holy, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to crush you suit, sir." I apologised before starting off again, but I didn't get far before a women in a leather suit came out from behind the tall man and grabbed my arm. Her grip was firm.

"Ow, what the hell?" I said.

"Mary-Sue Poots?" I froze, how did this women know my real name. I erased any record of that person. "My name is Maria Hill and this is Phil Coulson, we are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and need you to come with us."

"Let go of me, Maria Hill!" I spat in spite, "Or I will scream and get the attention of the police following me."

"Please Mary-Sue… we need you to come with us. You're in danger and we are the only ones who have the resources to protect you." Phil begged

"Stop calling me Mary-Sue, my name is Skye. I left that person behind when I escaped the foster-care system. Now, let go of me and give me a reason why I should go with you because right now I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D anymore than I trust the other organisations I know are after me."

"Maria, let her go. Skye… S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't like the other organisations, we stand for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. We are around to protect the earth and people like yourself."

"Wow," I interrupted, "Looks like someone really wanted those initials to spell out 'shield'."

"Yeah, so it seems." Coulson laughed. "Skye, you are an 084. That means that you are an object of unknown origin. We want to help you, the next people that find you will want to contain you, the ones after that will want to kill you, and the ones after that will want to dissect you. Please, I'm begging you Skye, let us help you."

"Fine, I'll go with you." I agree.

"Great, now can we go?" Maria asks and Coulson nods.

"Wait… I will go with you but I have some conditions. One, keep me away from her, she creeps me out; two, do not contain me; and three, treat me the way you would any normal person. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, we do." Phil chuckles, while Maria nods her head coldly.

We head towards a black van. From the distance it looks like a normal van that normal citizens would have but as I got closer I noticed the door had black spray paint over it.

##ARE YOU REALLY REAL, OR ANOTHER FAKE?##

When we arrived, at what I presume is a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Coulson led me to the elevator and pressed the down button.

"We call this place the Hub, it's a S.H.I.E.L.D. operations centre. We co-ordinate world-wide missions from this headquarters. The Hub director is Agent Victoria Hand, that is who I'm taking you to see right now. She is going to seem intimidating, more so than Commander Hill. You will either refer to her as Agent Hand or ma'am depending on what she tells you." Coulson says while waiting in the elevator. When the doors opened I saw a redhead who I assumed was said Victoria Hand.

"Agent Hand, ma'am, this is Mary-Sue Poots but she goes by Skye." Phil said while the senior agent looks me up and down.

"Thank you Agent Coulson, that will be all." She said dismissing Phil.

"Actually, Vic, I would prefer it if I stayed here with Skye." Phil defended.

"Agent Coulson, you are dismissed, I promise you nothing will happen to her." She retorts but Phil doesn't move. The redhead moved over to her desk and picked up the phone, dialling three numbers.

"Agent Romanoff, my office now." She commanded into the phone.

"Coulson, get out before Romanoff gets here, I'm assigning her as Skye's SO."

"Um… SO, ma'am?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"GET OUT COULSON, NOW!" She yells, Phil finally leaving giving a small reassuring smile to Skye beforehand. "Now Skye, I am assigning Agent Romanoff as your SO. SO stands for supervising officer, she will teach you how to fight, protect yourself." She says kindheartedly before a knock is heard at the door.

"Enter." Hand calls.

"Agent Hand, ma'am?" The other redhead asks.

"Agent Romanoff, I am pulling you off all missions and giving you one long term assignment. Romanoff this is Skye, an 084 and the most important person in the building. Director Fury has put her importance above his own and wishes for her to be taught by the best, you and Barton when he returns from his mission tomorrow. Skye, this is Natasha Romanoff, your SO.

"Skye is to attend S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. After school hours you and Barton are to train her. She is your Rookie, therefore, your responsibility. Anything that happens to her will be punishable by order of the Director. Any questions?" Agent Hand asks as my SO grabs a folder from her desk. Natasha shakes her head.

"Um… how do I address you?" I ask.

"In front of people you are to address me as Agent Hand or ma'am, but when it is just us you can call me Vic or Victoria. Anything else?"

"Yeah, one more thing… does this mean I'm training to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

"It sure does, Skye." Vic replies. "You are both dismissed."

##ARE YOU REALLY REAL, OR ANOTHER FAKE?##

I followed Natasha out of Vic's office and into the elevator. When we exited the elevator, we were on a residential level.

"Okay, Skye, do you have a last name?" Natasha asked me as we walked inside her assigned apartment.

"No, I was put into the foster system when I was three weeks old. The name they gave me was Mary-Sue Poots, but I hated it so I changed it to Skye and I didn't think I needed a last name."

"I'm sorry Skye, I didn't realise but you are going to need a surname if you are to go to a S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy. What do you want your last name to be?" She asks me sincerely.

"I guess I like the name Corvey, Skye Corvey, it has a nice ring to it." I reply with a smile.

"Skye Corvey it is, do you have a birthday Skye?"

"Not that I know of, I'm twenty years and three weeks today so lets go the thirteenth of February."

"Sounds good. Well, I'm Natasha Romanoff but my friends call me Nat so yeah, you can call me Nat when its just us but in front of other agents it's either Agent Romanoff or just Romanoff."

"Nat, can I ask you something?" I say.

"You just did, of coarse you can, this is your home when your not at S.H.I.E.L.D Academy or on any assignments."

"Who is Agent Barton?"

"Ah, of coarse, I forgot you were new here. Agent Clint Barton is my partner both in regards to work and romance. Have you ever heard of the Black Widow and Hawkeye? Well thats us."

"Oh, holy no way, my supervising officers are the Black Widow and Hawkeye. Sorry, I'm just going to have a fangirl moment. Wow, I am going to be training with two of the Avengers."

"Skye, you wont just be training with the two of us, they are all at the Academy at the moment so we will all be training you when your not in school. Clint will be teaching you archery, Tony will teach you how to hack, Bruce will teach you all he knows about science, Steve will teach you how to box and build your strength, Thor will teach you about Asgard, and I will teach you how to spar."

"Wow, holy no way, holy no way, um… that will be amazing. I am the luckiest person alive."

"Not necessarily, Tony is the second best in his field." Nat said with a smirk on her face.

I smiled already knowing why but asked anyway, "What do you mean the second best?"

"Someone hacked into J.A.R.V.I.S., which stands for, Just A Rather Very Intelligent System. It is supposed to be un-hackable but someone hacked into it. I would love to meet whoever did and thank them for putting him in his place. You should have seen his face when he was alerted of a security breach. He caught the person who broke in two days ago but I had to come here so I couldn't thank them and then they escaped earlier today." She smiled. "Well, I am stuffed. I'm going to head to bed you can put your stuff in the end room on the left. Night Skye."

"Goodnight Nat." I responded before heading down to my new room. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't so bad.

##ARE YOU REALLY REAL, OR ANOTHER FAKE?##

**Well that's it for now, I will be back with Chapter Two. I really do hope this story receives more reviews than my first fanfiction, 'Betrayal Hurts Both'. I definitely like this story better, I feel like I connect with it more. Next… we meet Clint Barton. Please Follow, Favourite and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Two:**

##ARE YOU REALLY REAL, OR ANOTHER FAKE?##

**Chapter Two ~ What Is Fury Up To?**

I awake to the apartment door opening. Sitting up on the bed, I stretch and get up. I open the door to find an arrow pointed at my head.

"You must be Agent Barton, I would greatly appreciate it if you could lower the bow so I'm not under the threat of dying." I say trying to hide the fear in my voice. But when he didn't move I got scared and started shaking, thankfully at this point Nat woke up and came out.

"Clint, put the bow away, she isn't a threat." Nat says calmly. Reluctantly, Clint puts his bow on the table but he doesn't let his eyes leave mine. "Clint… this is Skye, she is our Rookie. Sit and I'll explain everything."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to 'Mrs. Marie Woods-Winchester' and 'storygirl58' for alerting me of the messed up formatting in my original post of Chapter 2.

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?': **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

"Well, I am stuffed. I'm going to head to bed you can put your stuff in the end room on the left. Night Skye."

"Goodnight Nat." I responded before heading down to my new room. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't so bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>I do not own Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or Marvel's Avengers.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two ~ What Is Fury Up To?<strong>

I awake to the apartment door opening. Sitting up on the bed, I stretch and get up. I open the door to find an arrow pointed at my head.

"You must be Agent Barton, I would greatly appreciate it if you could lower the bow so I'm not under the threat of dying." I say trying to hide the fear in my voice. But when he didn't move I got scared and started shaking, thankfully at this point Nat woke up and came out.

"Clint, put the bow away, she isn't a threat." Nat says calmly. Reluctantly, Clint puts his bow on the table but he doesn't let his eyes leave mine. "Clint… this is Skye, she is our Rookie. Sit and I'll explain everything." Nat heads over to sit on the couch, Clint and I in trail.

Once seated, Nat fills him in on everything.

"Skye," Clint begins, "I am so sorry, I didn't realise what was happening. Do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Yes, I understand you were taking a precaution. I can't be mad at you for trying to protect the one you love, Agent Barton."

"Please, Skye, call me Clint when its just us. There is no need for formality unless we are talking in front of other agents." I smile and nod.

"So who's up for a green smoothie?" Nat asks. Both Clint and my hands shoot into the air.

"So Skye," Clint opens, "From what I understand, you knew about S.H.I.E.L.D. before you were brought into the system; feel like sharing how? It's just, S.H.I.E.L.D. is supposed to be a secret organisation so I'm interested to hear how you knew of us."

"Well, when I was seventeen I ran away from the orphanage because they were going to kick me out when I turned eighteen, they had to by law. Anyway, I ran away and met a guy, he told me everything that I wanted to hear. He told me that the government was keeping secrets that we deserved to know. He took me back to his place and introduced me to his friends that night. They were a part of an organisation called The Rising Tide. Miles Lydon, was his name, he taught me how to hack. All I wanted to do was find out where I came from and who I was. My search led me to a single document — redacted." I explained

"By S.H.I.E.L.D." Clint and Nat said at the same time, sharing a look.

"Skye, can you bring up that document please." Nat asks, sadness and anxiousness laced in her voice. I nod and hurry off to my room to grab my computer. When I came back out, Clint wasn't there.

"He is grabbing my laptop." Nat says without me needing to ask. I nod my head in understanding and open my laptop, pulling up the file. Looking up from my computer, I see Clint walking over to sit own next to me and Nat standing up coming to stand behind us. Looking over at Nat's laptop, I saw an exact replicate of my redacted document. I look up to see them looking at me.

"How do you have this? Why do you have this? This is my life, this is who I am. I am a redacted document." I ask, tears gathering in my eyes.

"This is the redacted document that Fury gave us about our daughter that he took from us. Skye, if that is your life, and this is our daughters life…? Nat said tears now falling down her cheeks.

"Then I am your daughter and you are my parents." I said quietly.

* * *

><p>I follow as Clint and Nat walk straight into Vic's office.<p>

"What base is Fury at Vic?" Clint says anger hinted in his voice.

"Come in," Vic says sarcastically, "What is this about?"

"It's personal Vic and right now we just really need to see Fury before I put a knife in someone." Nat says equally as angry.

"He's at the Triskelion." She replies.

"Thank you, Vic, we're taking the Bus." Clint says as we turn to leave.

* * *

><p>Nat lands the Bus and lowers the ramp. We walk out and towards the elevator. Clint and Nat receive many salutes of respect before we reach Director Fury's office but when we do Clint doesn't bother knocking he just pushes down on the handle and walks in with a look on his face that could kill.<p>

"Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, and Agent WhoeverYouAre, have you lost all respect? You don't just march into your superior's office uninvited not to mention without knocking." Fury says from his desk.

"Director Fury, have you lost all respect? You don't get to take a baby away from her parents not to mention then redact the file about it." I snap back.

"I'm sorry, what's your name Agent?" Fury said in a threatening tone.

"I'm not an Agent, my name is Skye." I responded.

"So if you aren't an agent, who are you; because I certainly don't remember inviting you to join our Academy?" Fury accused.

"No you didn't invite 'Skye', although I'm sure you know me by the name 'Mary-Sue Poots'. For the record I hated that name so I changed it to Skye Corvey, but now I find out that I am the daughter of none other than the Black Widow and Hawkeye. To say I'm annoyed would be a very big understatement." I say, my fingernails digging into my palms. Fury's eyes open.

"Sit, all of you." Fury instructs. "Okay, I understand that you all probably despise me right now but you have to know that it was for Skye's safety. Being a spy means that you make enemies; the two of you combined have a lot of enemies and if they were to discover that you had a child they would go after her to make you feel pain. That was why I banned agent fraternisation. That is why I took your child away from you when she was born and made her non existent."

Clint's face showed an emotion of pure anger and hatred. I could see him wrap his fingers around his bow and squeeze it. He used his other hand to reach for an arrow.

"Give me one reason, Fury, one reason, why I shouldn't let my finger accidentally slip and let this arrow land in your only good eye." Clint said, his rage growing on each word.

"Clint, please, put the arrow away. Let's discuss this matter like mature adults." Fury said fear clinging to every word. Before Clint could respond I replied with anger,

"You aren't a mature adult, Fury. You are naive, immature and lack intelligence. I can understand your reason for doing what you did…"

"You can?" Nat asks.

"What, but… he stole your only chance of a childhood from you?" Clint argues.

"But I most certainly don't agree with your methods. You had no right, no right whatsoever, to take me from my parents. If they wanted to keep me, they should have been able to. If they wanted to risk it, they should have been allowed to do that. They are mature adults who can handle the consequences of their own actions." I lecture. My parents stared at me, stunned that I could see sense after finding out that he was the person who stole my only chance of having a decent childhood with my parents. "Fury, I have one question."

"Anything. I owe you and your parents a hell of a lot, so I will try to answer all of your questions." He replied.

"Phil… um… Agent Coulson said I was an 084, but if Nat and Clint are my parents, how can I be an object of unknown origin?" I ask but before he can answer me, my parents break out — yelling and accusing.

"Wait… what?" Nat questions.

"Coulson is alive?" Clint accuses.

"How could you fake his death just to further motivate us into doing our jobs?" Nat says.

"Enough! Firstly, yes he is alive; secondly, no I did not fake his death. Coulson was killed by Loki, I simply brought him back to life using the GH325 from the GuestHouse — which is a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, not even listed in our records. I didn't tell you because you need to be Level 7 to know about his resurrection and Level 9 to know about the drug." Fury yelled which halted Nat and Clint's comments.

"You what? The GH325 was only meant to be used to save an Avenger. You said that yourself, Fury." Nat said, hurt and violation evident in her voice.

"I know, but it was Phil. He's strong and he hasn't suffered any side-effects." Fury defended.

"Yet, he hasn't suffered any side-effects yet." Clint corrected.

"Guys? I would greatly appreciate it if you could answer my question; how am I an 084?" I interrupted getting impatient.

* * *

><p><strong>I received such a great result from my first chapter I wanted to post this one as soon as I could, but I knew that if I didn't stick with weekly updates then posting would become unstable. Please Follow, Favourite, andor Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Three:**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three ~ Truth Unveiled<strong>

"Oh, um… right. Well Skye… you see… neither Agent Barton, nor Agent Romanoff are completely human. When on their first mission they were injected with a substance we call the 'Infinity Formula'. It is a serum that was stolen from the Brotherhood of the S.H.I.E.L.D., you're parents task was to retrieve it but instead they were injected with it. It is a diluted form of the 'Elixir of Immortality'. However, because it is a weaker version of the original formula, it doesn't provide immortality it simply slows down their ageing. When you, Skye, turn 24 you're ageing process will begin to slow.

"On a later mission, Barton was injected with another drug we refer to as 'Mutant Growth Hormone'. On any normal human, the effects of this serum would be temporary but because of his injection of the 'Infinity Formula' it is everlasting. The power this substance gave Barton was flight — hence his codename 'Hawkeye'. He was also injected with what we call the 'Goblin Formula'. The drug enhances a person's body to superhuman levels. It greatly amplified his mental and physical functions, resulting in his aim perfecting and him being able to telepathically communicate with the first person he saw after being injected — Romanoff.

"Your mother, well she has been injected with so many serums that even we didn't know if she was going to survive them. When captured on her forth mission, a mixture was formed using something we address as the 'Heart-Shaped Herb'. When inserted with this formula, her speed, agility, strength, endurance, healing and senses enhanced. It also triggered her ability to speak with Clint. On her last mission before giving birth to you, Romanoff was infected with many different drugs, serums and substances. One of which was the 'Calypso Serum' which enhanced her speed, durability, agility, and reflexes. Running through her veins, she has a collection of other species blood, the only ones we know about are: 'Spartoi' which the only thing we know about that species is how they age very slowly; 'Shi'ar' which are semi-humanoid warriors; and 'Skrulls' which are reptilian-humanoid warriors." Fury explained. "You still with me Skye?"

"Okay, um… just give me a sec, it's a lot to process all at once." I said.

"Skye, honey, everything that Fury has just explained to you has to do with us. What you don't know, is how this is going to affect you. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. knows very little about what will happen. So just stick with us." Nat said. I nod.

"Okay, continue."


	3. Chapter 3

Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':

Chapter One: Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

Chapter Two: Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

"Guys? I would greatly appreciate it if you could answer my question; how am I an 084?" I interrupted getting impatient.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

Chapter Three ~ Truth Unveiled

"Oh, um… right. Well Skye… you see… neither Agent Barton, nor Agent Romanoff are completely human. When on their first mission they were injected with a substance we call the 'Infinity Formula'. It is a serum that was stolen from the Brotherhood of the S.H.I.E.L.D., you're parents task was to retrieve it but instead they were injected with it. It is a diluted form of the 'Elixir of Immortality'. However, because it is a weaker version of the original formula, it doesn't provide immortality it simply slows down their ageing. When you, Skye, turn twenty-four you're ageing process will begin to slow.

"On a later mission, Barton was injected with another drug we refer to as 'Mutant Growth Hormone'. On any normal human, the effects of this serum would be temporary but because of his injection of the 'Infinity Formula' it is everlasting. The power this substance gave Barton was flight — hence his codename 'Hawkeye'. He was also injected with what we call the 'Goblin Formula'. The drug enhances a person's body to superhuman levels. It greatly amplified his mental and physical functions, resulting in his aim perfecting and him being able to telepathically communicate with the first person he saw after being injected — Romanoff.

"Your mother, well she has been injected with so many serums that even we didn't know if she was going to survive them. When captured on her forth mission, a mixture was formed using something we address as the 'Heart-Shaped Herb'. When inserted with this formula, her speed, agility, strength, endurance, healing and senses enhanced. It also triggered her ability to speak with Clint. On her last mission before giving birth to you, Romanoff was infected with many different drugs, serums and substances. One of which was the 'Calypso Serum' which enhanced her speed, durability, agility, and reflexes. Running through her veins, she has a collection of other species blood, the only ones we know about are: 'Spartoi' which the only thing we know about that species is how they age very slowly; 'Shi'ar' which are semi-humanoid warriors; and 'Skrulls' which are reptilian-humanoid warriors." Fury explained. "You still with me Skye?"

"Okay, um… just give me a sec, it's a lot to process all at once." I said.

"Skye, honey, everything that Fury has just explained to you has to do with us. What you don't know, is how this is going to affect you. In fact, S.H.I.E.L.D. knows very little about what will happen. So just stick with us." Nat said. I nod.

"Okay, continue." I agree.

"Well, you see, what we aren't a hundred percent sure of yet, is what affect these drugs in your parents bodies are going to have on you. We believe that you will start to experience some changes in your body when you turn twenty-one. This is because, most of the origins of the blood injections believe that twenty-one is a symbolic year. Although, your ageing wont begin to slow until you are twenty-four. We have strong beliefs…' Fury began.

"Who exactly is 'we' Pirate?" I interrupt.

"When I say 'we' I am referring to a group of elite scientists who were trying to understand the compounds that were injected into Barton and Romanoff. Don't worry, they will keep completely secretive about everything - they wouldn't tell a soul - they are handpicked by me." Fury explains. "As I was saying, we have strong beliefs that you will inherit many powers such as the ability to telepathically communicate with you parents only - that could be quite useful on missions, to be able to communicate without being detected."

"Back on track Fury, and lets not be bringing S.H.I.E.L.D. operations into this discussion." Barton said.

"Ah, right, um, what was I saying, oh, thats right… telepathy… you should also be able to fly but most likely this will be for short intervals of time; as well as this with the right training your aim should be perfect very quickly, and your speed, agility, strength, endurance, durability, reflexes, healing and senses should enhance. You want to know what I believe Skye?" Fury asked.

"Not really, but I get the feeling that your going to tell me anyway." I respond.

"Ha, I like you already kid, you knew that I would tell you regardless. I believe that you, Skye Barton, will make the perfect agent… all your abilities - it'll make you flawless." He says with a smile.

"Okay, first off - do not call me Skye Barton, I am going by the name Skye Corvey for two reasons, one being I won't chose one of my parent's name and not the other because that just isn't fair, and two being I don't want people to know about my heritage, that is to remain between us." I say but before I can continue with my rant my father interrupts me.

"Why don't you want people to know that we are your parents?"

"I want to be myself and I can't do that if people are treating me nicely because the greatest heros and agents of all time are my parents. I want to be treated like everyone else." I say sincerely.

"Understood, baby girl. Can the Avengers know about our relationship or would you like us to keep that from them and tell them the same thing as everyone else? It is up to you, Skye." Mum asks.

"Um," I hesitate in thought, "Can I meet them before I decide please Mum?" I ask, trying out the name.

"Of coarse." She replies.

"Well if thats it, feel free to fill out the form for the Academy and leave my office." Fury says, obviously dismissing them.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

After arriving back at the apartment we sat down at the couch and waited in silence for someone, anyone to say anything. It was me who broke the silence.

"Well now that we know your my parents, I barely know anything about you so care to fill me in on your lives?"

"Are you sure, Skye, our lives are very much dangerous and gruesome?" Dad cautions and I nod my head. "Very well. Nat do you wanna start?"

"Sure." She says hesitantly. "Well my real name is Natalia Alianovna Romanoff. I was born in 1928 and was apparently orphaned as a child after I was trapped in a burning building during an early attack on Stalingrad by enemy forces. A Soviet soldier, Ivan Petrovitch Bezukhov, found and rescued me. He kept an eye on me as I grew up but by the time I was ten I had attracted the attention of Soviet intelligence. They began my training- they were training me to become an assassin, their assassin. When I was thirteen I was captured by the ninja clan that goes by the name 'Hand' and was almost brainwashed into serving them but was fortunately saved by Ivan. Following World War II, I was recruited to become part of the Black Widow Program, a team of elite female sleeper agents. Among my instructors was the Winter Soldier. To cover my occupation I studied as a ballerina. The Soviet state eventually arranged for me to marry Alexi Shostakov, a champion and distinguished test pilot. After a few years of a happy marriage, the KGB faked Alexi's death in a rocket test; grief for him resulted in me being driven deeper and I continued my education with the Red Room Academy, finally being appointed the title of the Black Widow. KGB stands for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti which in English was the Committee for State KGB was the secret police of the former Soviet Union. Basically, they could accuse, torture, imprison and/or kill anyone they wanted, for any reason or no reason, or even if they just didn't like someone. It didn't matter whether the person was innocent or guilty. There weren't always trials, and some of the trials they did have were "show trials," which means that they had already decided in advance the person was guilty and weren't really looking for the truth. Usually when they killed someone, they claimed it was an accident or an illness that the person died from."

"If you were with the KGB then why are you with S.H.I.E.L.D. now? How did you deflect?" I asked, engrossed in my mother's history.

"Ahh, well this is actually quite an interesting part. You see, my superiors sent my and another operative, Boris Turgenov, to assassinate Tony Stark and a Russian scientist Anton Vanko who deflected from Russia to work with Iron Man. When Boris stole Anton's Crimson Dynamo armour, both Boris and Anton died in battle but I escaped. Later, feigning repentance, I romanced Stark long enough to steal his experimental anti-gravity ray. With it, I performed several acts of sabotage against the USA until Iron Man deactivated the device. My cover blown, so I romanced and manipulated this outlaw archer, Clint, into working with me, helping him enhance his archery arsenal with high-tech arrows. Together, we attacked Iron Man, who deflected one of Clint's explosive arrows, its impact knocked me out and ending the battle when this sweetie here rushed me to safety. After deflecting, I tried to make amends with the Avengers by assisting them in their battle against the racist group known as the Sons of the Serpent. Having been granted amnesty, I made a bid for membership in the Avengers."

#AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

Thank you to everyone who is reading my story. I have a passion for reading, writing and entertaining so I thought this would be the best way for me to express my love. Please tell me what you think and whether or not you think Skye should want the Avengers to know about her parents. Please Follow, Favourite, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Four:

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"However, Fury hired me to spy on my former master on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., I was be forced to decline membership with the Avengers and publicly brake off my relationship with Clint. As part of my mission, the press branded me a traitor…"

"Which broke my heart." Clint added.

"Yes, and I never wanted to hurt you Clint." Nat replied.


	4. Chapter 4

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"After deflecting, I tried to make amends with the Avengers by assisting them in their battle against the racist group known as the Sons of the Serpent. Having been granted amnesty, I made a bid for membership in the Avengers."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Four ~ We Aren't That Different**

"However, Fury hired me to spy on my former master on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., I was be forced to decline membership with the Avengers and publicly brake off my relationship with Clint. As part of my mission, the press branded me a traitor…"

"Which broke my heart." Clint added.

"Yes, and I never wanted to hurt you Clint." Nat replied, tears forming in her eyes at the memory.

"I know Nat, it was just a really hard time for me. I mean like, I was actually in love with you. You were and still are my world."

"Anyway, the Red Room suspected me which led to me being brainwashed. Fortunately after I was extracted, the Avengers welcomed me home with open arms. Of course, this was after I forced Fury to tell them. I was too ashamed to face them without them knowing that I was forced to do what I did. I'm pretty sure the rest of the world knows the remainder of our story." Nat… Mum finishes.

I am guttered, how could anyone put someone of such a young age through that. It is purely cruel.

"I'm so sorry Mum… is it okay if I call you mum, I mean like I don't want to overstep any lines…" I ramble.

"Skye, Skye, we would love you to call us Mum and Dad." Mum interrupted. I smile at that. No-one has ever wanted me, whenever I was adopted I would only be with a family for a couple of month at most — they never wanted me, I was never a fit, they always sent me back to the orphanage.

"So, is it my turn to share my story?" Dad asks rhetorically.

"Yeah, yeah, it is." I say with a slight chuckle matching my mother's.

"Well, you see when a man loves a women very much, like I do with your mother, they get involved in activities which involve…" Dad begins with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Dad, oh holy, I really didn't need you to visualise that for me. Tell me about yourself without the nightly activities please." I request, scrunching my nose up in distaste.

"Oh, please Skye. There the best bits, though." He says jokingly. I shake my head, rolling my eyes. "Ok, um, where to begin. My full name in Clinton Francis Barton, I was born to Harold and Edith Barton, hence the last name. I grew up working in my father's Butchers shop in Waverly, Iowa with my older brother Barney. My father was abusive, especially when he drank and continually beat us. Barney taught me how to fight and helped me improve my aim. Dad's drinking eventually cost him his life along with his wife when both died in a car accident. After the incident, Barney and I were sent to a children's home from which we ran away from to join a traveling circus. In the circus we worked as roustabouts. While a member with the circus, I was trained by the original Swordsman and by Trick Shot.

"Later in my… life, after I left the circus, I took on the name Hawkeye. I witnessed Iron Man in action and attempted to emulate him by donning a colourful costume and employing my archery skills to fight crime. I didn't understand what he was doing at the time. I thought that by eliminating the billionaire playboy in the flying suit I would be helping to protect innocent citizens. However, during my first public appearance, I was mistaken for a thief by police. This was at the same time your mother was sent to assassinate Stark, so the Black Widow here enlisted me as her partner. Even when we first met she couldn't resist me." Dad chuckles.

"Oh, you wish it were that way Clinton Francis." Mum retorts.

"Ok, ok, save all the mushy love stuff for the bedroom. Please." I say.

"Fine." Dad pouts. "Together, your mother and I, clashed with Stark on several occasions. And, although, I became romantically involved with Nat, I was unhappy being a criminal. So, I approached the Avengers and told them of my desire to reform. Surprisingly, the one person I had tried to murder sponsored my membership on the team. That's right, Tony Stark, the one and only, vouched for me. It seems he can be compassionate.

"I remained an active member of the Avengers for years, my archery skills were continuously improving until my aim was perfected. My carefree and rebellious personality meant that I sometimes argued with Captain America but our teamwork never faltered when faced by outside threats. For a short time, I abandoned my 'Hawkeye' identity, but that only last 6 weeks before I resumed my role. During the course of another leave, I became security chief for Cross Technological Enterprises. While at Cross, I met Jorge Lathem, an engineer who designed the Sky-Cycle as my personal conveyance when he was incapacitated with a broken leg. Shortly after, I also met and eloped with Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. fellow crime fighter Mockingbird, when the two of us were kidnapped by Crossfire, a villain who wanted to use hypnotic ultrasounds to force superheroes to kill each other. Mockingbird and I defeated Crossfire, but I suffered what was supposed to be permanent hearing damage due to the ultrasounds and for a long time I was forced to wear a hearing aid. Eventually, Franklin Richards cured me of this injury.

"Upon my return to the Avengers with my new bride, I was appointed to chair a new second team of Avengers. The team I chose consisted of Mockingbird, my original inspiration Iron Man, Wonder Man, and Tigra. Mockingbird and I acted as the guiding force behind the team. I hired his old friend from Cross Technologies, Latham, to act as the on-staff mechanic and to build a new fleet of Sky-Cycles. He helped the us in a civilian capacity as the resident scientist." Dad explained.

"Ok, hold up. What exactly is a Sky-Cycle?" I ask.

"In short, it's a one or two person hover vehicle the Avengers use to travel short distances." Dad answers and I nod in understanding. "Anyway, it was later in my relationship with Bobbi that I figured out she had actually been kidnapped and replaced with a deep-cover Skrull sleeper agent. My team and I had our last mission together. We set out to find the women I actually fell for. It was after we found the complex where she was being held that I found out she had been murdered." Tears were forming in my dad's eyes and it was heartbreaking to see him so emotional. "Brutally murdered. After her death, I left the Avengers once again and became a solo agent, at least for a period of time. I dropped the title of 'Hawkeye'. During this time I trained a group of rebels. This lasted for a couple of years.

"Steve Rogers put together a new team of Avengers. I joined the team and returned to my 'Hawkeye' identity. This was when I saw Nat next. She romanced and manipulated me into working with her, again. And then, again, we tried to kill Tony. Next thing I know, Tony's sponsoring her just like he did me." Dad said, pulling Mum close to him. "So yeah, that's my story."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Thanks everyone for your support throughout this fanfiction so far. I am loving all the support you are giving me and the encouragement to continue writing. I am so, so sorry for the long wait. I didn't forget about you but as I'm sure many of you know, I am on school holidays and that comes with its own factors. Mine included going away (camping with no internet - I know, how did a teenager such as myself survive) for all of December. I hope to make it up to all of my readers by giving you three consecutive chapters. Please Follow, Favourite, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Five (which will be up later):**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Five ~ The Blood Is On Your Hands**

"Skye, baby girl, I know you're probably tired, but right now we need you to pack your things. We leave for S.H.I.E.L.D. Operations and Communications Academy in the morning - early in the morning, before the sun rises early." I hear Dad say, but to be honest I'm really not listening.

"Too tired." I respond.

"I know sweetie but your father is right." Mum interjects. "I've re-packed your duffel bag, so that is done but we need to go through a cover story incase people ask questions."

"Questions?" I ask, hoping that my one word question doesn't need to be elaborated on. Thankfully, Mum and Dad are smart and they know what I want to know.

"Yeah, baby girl. Questions like 'why are you late beginning the school yeasr' and 'why do you get away with so much'." Dad says and my eyes open in a hurry.

"Two things, one, there is someone listening at the door - don't ask how I know this because I just do. And two, what sort of things are you expecting an innocent like me to get up to?" I say eager for the answer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"Steve Rogers put together a new team of Avengers. I joined the team and returned to my 'Hawkeye' identity. This was when I saw Nat next. She romanced and manipulated me into working with her, again. And then, again, we tried to kill Tony. Next thing I know, Tony's sponsoring her just like he did me." Dad said, pulling Mum close to him. "So yeah, that's my story."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Five ~ The Blood Is On Your Hands**

"Skye, baby girl, I know you're probably tired, but right now we need you to pack your things. We leave for S.H.I.E.L.D. Operations and Communications Academy in the morning - early in the morning, before the sun rises early." I hear Dad say, but to be honest I'm really not listening.

"Too tired." I respond.

"I know sweetie but your father is right." Mum interjects. "I've re-packed your duffel bag, so that is done but we need to go through a cover story incase people ask questions."

"Questions?" I ask, hoping that my one word question doesn't need to be elaborated on. Thankfully, Mum and Dad are smart and they know what I want to know.

"Yeah, baby girl. Questions, like 'why are you late' and 'why do you get away with so much'." Dad says and my eyes open in a hurry.

"Two things, one, there is someone listening at the door - don't ask how I know this because I just do. And two, what sort of things are you expecting an innocent like me to get up to?" I say eager for the answer. Unfortunately I don't get one, at least not straight away. Although, I guess I can't argue with that considering there was someone at the door and my parents are spies, so it is sort of their job to be cautious.

Mum and Dad share a look then turn to me and I know what they want - they want me to hide. Dad chucks me a gun, which I drop immediately.

"Don't worry, it's not lethal. It knocked out the person hit by it, that's all." He reassures. I slowly bend down, pick it up, and hide. The extent of my hiding was standing up and walking around to the back of the couch where I crouched down so that I couldn't be seen - at least not from where they would be standing. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I hold it up as a reflection. Through the black screen I see Mum walk over to the door and Dad picks his bow up off the table. I watch as she wraps her fingers around the door handle and mouth to Dad.

'_One… Two… Three…' _Her mouth moves but makes no sound. As she says three, she swings the door open and Dad fires an arrow at the three men stumbling to regain balance after it was knocked off due to the door opening. It hit the man in the middle, but only on the leg - crippling him. I guess my dad didn't want to fire lethally incase it was an Agent being reckless and stupid (and most likely drunk). Although, he probably wanted it to be painful so that he wouldn't try to do something like that again, and it would also send a message to anyone else who was idiotic enough to try and listen in on the assassins' conversation. While the crippled man is on the ground, clutching his leg, and Dad is rushing over to knock him out, Mum elbows the one to the left on top of his head and I watch him lose consciousness - it must of been a pretty hard hit for it to knock him out. She grabs the other by his collar from behind and pulls a handgun out of her pants resting it on his pulse. My heart skips a beat. Surely she won't pull the trigger, no, she wouldn't, not when he wasn't posing as a threat.

"Who are you and why were you listening in on our conversation?" She asks harshly but he remains silent. "I will put a bullet in you if you don't answer me, so I ask again, who are you and why were listening in on our conversation?"

"She's not bluffing. She will put that bullet through you without a second thought, after all your two friends here are still alive." Dad says in warning. But still no response from the man in question.

"Tell you what, if you give me the answer I'm looking for, I'll let your friends here leave, without being harmed. So, be a good and loyal friend and tell me…" Mum says in a calm voice but not before digging the gun firm on his neck when he doesn't respond. "Who are you and why were you listening to our conversation?" She demands answers. But still, no avail. I watch, too stunned to do anything as Mum moves the gun from his neck and points it at his foot. She pulls the trigger and my breathing quickens until I feel myself on the verge of an anxiety attack. I know that I need to calm down, that I need to control my breathing, I need to clear my thoughts - but I find it harder than I usually do, which is most likely because of what I just witnessed. My own mother, shot someone.

"The next one, it goes through you calf, then your knee, followed by your thigh. You getting the pattern? Give me my answer and save yourself and your friends from the pain I am more than capable of inflicting." Mum threatens.

"Go to hell, Hail Hydra." He spits out. I see the looks of anger, confusion and shock displayed on my mum and dad's faces. But that only lasts a few moments before their emotionless faces return.

"Well, despite your insult, I've received the answer to one of my questions. You are Hydra, now what might your name be? Or should I just address you as Hydra Boy, no, Hydra Scum seems more fitting." Mum sneers.

"My name, well you see that would be something I would prefer you not know." I hear the boy respond.

"What I want to know is how you and your friends managed to get onto this floor without your S.H.I.E.L.D. badges on you?" Dad asks - he wants identification.

It takes a moment for the situation to process in my mind but as soon as it does I know what I must do. Even if it will be more challenging and difficult than it could be if it were to be done on my laptop with all my programs on it, I can still do this one small thing to help out my parents and not be useless. I need to run facial recognition on the men.

"He asked you a question, I highly suggest you answer it." I hear my mum saying in the background while I download my program onto my phone.

"That was your last chance." Mum says before I hear another bullet being fired. I shudder and he screams, failing to mask his pain this time. But I know that I can't hesitate, not even for a moment. I slowly creep to the side of the couch and take a snap of the man with now two bullets in him and his friends. As soon as I am back behind the couch I heard something - something that I definitely wasn't expecting.

"Agh, that hurts like a bitch." He swears. "How about I make you a deal — I'll tell you everything you want to know, if you let me see the girl you were talking to before… Skye, I think her name was." My breathing hitches. _Beep. Beep. Beep. _That's three, facial recognition complete.

"You are in no position to be making demands." I head Mum scold. I stand up and face the crippled man, who is close the losing consciousness. I move from around the couch to stand in front of him. I aim the ICER at his shoulder.

"Mr. Alex Knight, I am Skye. I have completed my side of the deal — you have seen me — so when you wake up, you can fulfil your side of it. Nighty-night, Mr. Knight." I pull the trigger.

Turning around I see both of my parents look at me with faces of disbelief.

"How was your aim so perfect? I mean, like, you weren't even shaking. I have never seen that done before on a first go." Dad admires.

"Clint!" Mum scolds. "You should not be encouraging this. She disobeyed out orders."

"She's exactly like us, Nat." Dad defends.

"Clint, you know that you are never in control with our relationship. Skye, you will be punished for disobeying direct orders and putting yourself at risk. I am confiscating your phone, laptop and any other electronics you own. Is that understood?" I can feel Mum's glare on me, but I'm too ashamed to look up at her. I don't want to see her disappointed face. I nod. "Good, I can be a badass mother, but I will not tolerate you disobeying my orders. And there is one more thing that you must do for me to be happy?" I look up, confused.

"And what is that?" I ask.

"Get into trouble with your instructors at the Academy." Mum says, with a sneaky grin slithering onto her face. "Clint, honey. Take these three down to Hand, make sure no-one sees. I'll introduce Skye to the world of pranks to pull at the Academy." Dad nods his head and removes the bodies from the room.

"Mum, I know some pranks I could pull. Let me surprise you." I say.

"Okay, go pack. See you in the morning, kid." Mum says, and I turn to leave, but not before I hear her say quietly, "I love you Skye. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you growing up." I close my bedroom door behind me. I didn't exactly have enough time to unpack my things when I got here, so I had nothing to pack for the Academy. Instead, I went straight bed. Pulling the sheets up and snuggling in with the blankets.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**It's quite funny because I did not intend on making Clint and Natasha Skye's parents when I was planning this fanfiction out. I simply wanted to include them for the purpose of the Avengers being Skye's SO's. When Skye arrives at the Academy, the rest of the team will be introduced. Anyway, please Follow, Favourite, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Six (which will be up a tad bit later):**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Six ~ A Spy's Work**

_Knock, knock, knock. _I hear at the door follow by Mum's voice. "Wake up Skye, it's almost 0300 hours and Hand wants us in her office. Fury's with her. After that, we are leaving for the Academy. Make yourself presentable." She instructs. I open the door to see Mum turning away. "Ah, Skye, are you an early riser?"

"Um, not really. I couldn't sleep last night — I guess I was too excited about today." I explain and Mum nods her head in understanding. "Ok, so I guess we should be off the see the pirate now. I get the feeling that he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Mum chuckles.


	6. Chapter 6

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

**Chapter Five:** When Skye is about to pack her stuff for the Academy, she senses people listening outside the door and she tells her parents. They usher her to hide while they confront the three boys at the door, knocking two unconscious and questioning the third. Skye runs facial recognition on the boys and shoots the conscious one with the ICER gun.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"I love you Skye. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you growing up." I close my bedroom door behind me. I didn't exactly have enough time to unpack my things when I got here, so I had nothing to pack for the Academy. Instead, I went straight bed. Pulling the sheets up and snuggling in with the blankets.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Six ~ A Spy's Work**

_Knock, knock, knock. _I hear at the door follow by Mum's voice. "Wake up Skye, it's almost 0300 hours and Hand wants us in her office. Fury's with her. After that, we are leaving for the Academy. Make yourself presentable." She instructs. I open the door to see Mum turning away. "Ah, Skye, are you an early riser?"

"Um, not really. I couldn't sleep last night — I guess I was too excited about today." I explain and Mum nods her head in understanding. "Ok, so I guess we should be off the see the pirate now. I get the feeling that he doesn't like to be kept waiting." Mum chuckles.

I grab my duffel bag and follow Mum out of the apartment. Mum turns around to see my puzzled facial expressions.

"Clint is already down there." She explains and I nod.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

When we reach Vic's office I see Maria Hill and my face turns up in distaste.

"Mary-Sue." Maria says.

"I told you before, I don't go by that name anymore. I go by Skye now." I spit out.

"Is there a problem over here?" Dad asks, coming to my rescue.

"Yeah… yeah, there is actually. Agent Hill here can't get it through her thick skull that my name is Skye, and not Mary-Sue." I explain folding my arms.

"Hill, Fury will explain but I expect you to treat her with respect." Dad defends me.

"What do you care? You don't usually care how I treat others. What changed?" She asks but before Dad can answer, the pirate joins us.

"Skye, I'm extremely sorry that you family bonding time was disturbed last night by deep-cover, Hydra sleeper agents." He apologises.

"Wait, hold up. Did you say family bonding time?" Hill asks.

"Maria, this is Clint and my long lost daughter. That is why he cares whether or not you treat her with respect." Mum answers. "Now, Director Fury, sir, I'm sure you didn't summon us here just to apologise for last night. Why are we here?"

"Agent Romanoff, Agent Barton, Skye, Commander Hill, you are among the few I trust with this news. The news that Hydra isn't dead. As they say, you cut off one head and two grow in it's place. It seems that might just be true. I want Hydra eradicated from S.H.I.E.L.D. and I want it done yesterday. Barton, Romonoff, I want you two to be teaching at the Academy. I want the two of you to help Skye in anyway you possibly can. Skye, you used to be a member of the Rising Tide, I want you to investigate first off every teacher at the school and then every student. Look deep and make it thorough. Romanoff and Barton, teach Skye how to detect lies. I want her to be the best. Then I want Skye to be partnered up with virtually every student, teacher, for Christ's sake even the cafeteria staff and I want her to interrogate them. Disguise it as a part of her training. Skye, make sure everything matches up with what you find out about them. Am I understood?" Fury questions.

"Yes sir." Mum and Dad reply in sync.

"Aye, aye, Captain." I reply earning a warning glare from Maria and a chuckle from Fury.

"Good. You report to only, Hill or myself. Also, bring Stark, Rogers, Thor and Banner in on this. I'm going to have Coulson, Garrett and Hill working on it from inside the upper levels of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Skye, I might get in touch with you when you're at the Avengers Tower for some help. Can I count on you Skye to help me, your parents, Agent Coulson, Commander Hill, and S.H.I.E.L.D. with this investigation?"

"Sure can pirate." I reply with a solute.

"Good, now, get your backside to the Academy and start working."

"Wait!" I say remembering a comment that made me uneasy. "Who is Garrett?"

"Agent John Garrett, Clearance Level 7, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents. Why?" Maria answers, raising an eyebrow in question.

I close my eyes and shake my head.

"It can't be him, it can't be." I murmur repeatedly. "It can not be John Garrett. Ok, Skye, calm down, breathe." I suck in a deep breath through my nose and release it through my mouth. "Um, Nicky, could you provide me with his photo, or better yet his file. Please."

"Hill retrieve the file." He orders.

"Skye, honey, what's wrong? Garrett is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best agents, and one of the loyalist." Mum says. I take a deep breath and try to explain.

"When I was in the system, I was handed over to a family, the Garrett family. They were nice people, all eighteen and older. They had planned a holiday overseas but I couldn't go because I was only fifteen. Anyway, the mother of the family handed me over to her brother, John Garrett, for the fortnight they were going away for. The morning they left was the last time I saw them. At first I was excited about meeting the brother of the women who had taken me in. I thought that maybe it meant they wanted to keep me, that I would fit in with their family. I never found out, their plane went down on the way over. Anyway, John took me with him. I thought that he was going to take responsibility of me, but holy, was I wrong. He took me out into the middle of the woods, by this point I was cold and scared. When we reached where he wanted to go, I saw a boy. I thought he looked vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure. At least not until he called out 'John, you back so soon'. I recognised his voice. Grant Ward.

"The Ward family had taken me in when I was twelve. The mum was nice enough, but the father was an alcoholic — didn't give a damn for anyone but himself — Mrs. Ward feared him so she would never speak out of turn. The older brother, Christian, he was abusive of Grant. Christian continuously told Grant hurt me. At first he refused but when Christian started to abuse the youngest boy, Thomas, Grant obeyed every order." I say as tears threaten to fall from my eyes. "I guess it was because Thomas was family and I wasn't. At first, it was just him hitting me — I could handle that, but then he started punching me — used me a punching bag — and whenever Mr. and Mrs. Ward were away Christian would tell him to lock me outside. Sometimes when they were home, Christian would have Ward lock me in a trunk in the basement. I was with the Ward's for three months.

"Anyway, I knew it was Grant as soon as he called out to John. I thought that after I returned to the orphanage I would be safe from Christian's puppet. Unfortunately I was wrong — well not entirely. This time, Grant was John's puppet. I didn't understand what hold John had over him. At first, Grant was reluctant, but once John started saying things like 'is she a weakness' and 'Hydra doesn't accept people who are weak, Hydra needs those who are strong' he gave in to abusing me — again." I say, the tears rapidly falling from my eyes.

"Are you telling me that Agent John Garrett is actually Hydra and not S.H.I.E.L.D., that a man I trained myself is a traitor?" Fury says, the rage evident in his voice.

"I know this is a serious accusation, but if it is the same John Garrett that had me abused, that is exactly what I am telling you." I say as Maria walks over to me — I didn't notice her return. She opens John's file and I tremble. "It's the same man. This agent right here!" I jab my pointer finger at his photo. "He is an abusive Hydra scum. He is a traitor to S.H.I.E.L.D., a traitor to you, yourself, Director Fury."

"I want a status on Garrett, right now." Fury orders and Hill rushes to her office with the rest of us in trail. "What do you have on him Commander?"

"Agent John Garrett," She mumbles, typing into her computer, "Garrett has just completed his assigned mission in Madagascar and is on his way back to the Hub for debrief." She replies looking up from her computer. "What do you want done, sir?"

"First off, I want Skye, Barton and Romanoff on a plane to the Academy. Then I want you to debrief Garrett when he arrives at the Hub, after that, I want you to personally oversee his transport to the Fridge."

"Yes sir." The three senior agents reply in sync as I nod.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Well, that is the third chapter. All the best for the new year. Thursdays will be my new updating day. If any of you fantastic readers, whom I am so very grateful for, want to see anything in this story or want to see a specific story up here just leave a review and I'll see what I can do. Also, still wanting to hear from you on your opinion of the rest of the Avengers knowing about Skye's parents. Would love to hear from you. I am hoping to include the rest of the team in the next chapter, but I wanted to do that a couple of chapters ago. Must be my ****subconscious telling me that I tend to put a great amount of detail into things.****Anyway, please Follow, Favourite, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Seven:**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Seven ~ First Day At A New School**

"Buckle up and prepare for landing." The intercom shouts.

I rush to the seat and buckled in. This was it, I was at the Academy. I am going to learn to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, just like my parents. But I must remember my objective — the eradicate Hydra from the midst of S.H.I.E.L.D., to identify the traitors in the Academy. But I will still have fun.


	7. Chapter 7

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

**Chapter Five:** When Skye is about to pack her stuff for the Academy, she senses people listening outside the door and she tells her parents. They usher her to hide while they confront the three boys at the door, knocking two unconscious and questioning the third. Skye runs facial recognition on the boys and shoots the conscious one with the ICER gun.

**Chapter Six: **When Skye, Natasha and Clint are about to head off to the Communications and Operations Academy, they are called into Director Fury's office where a very concerning issue is discussed. Nick has found reason to believe that Hydra is not dead and that they are in fact buried deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D., this news is shared with them and Maria. Skye is going to the Academy to seek out the Hydra sleeper agents and eradicate The Red Skulls presence from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's and bases. Skye shares her history with them and they discover that Agent John Garrett, one of Nick's most trusted agents, is Hydra.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"I want a status on Garrett, right now." Fury orders and Hill rushes to her office with the rest of us in trail. "What do you have on him Commander?"

"Agent John Garrett," She mumbles, typing into her computer, "Garrett has just completed his assigned mission in Madagascar and is on his way back to the Hub for debrief." She replies looking up from her computer. "What do you want done, sir?"

"First off, I want Skye, Barton and Romanoff on a plane to the Academy. Then I want you to debrief Garrett when he arrives at the Hub, after that, I want you to personally oversee his transport to the Fridge."

"Yes sir." The three senior agents reply in sync as I nod.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Seven ~ First Day At A New School**

"Buckle up and prepare for landing." The intercom shouts.

I rush to the seat and buckled in. This was it, I was at the Academy. I am going to learn to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, just like my parents. But I must remember my objective — the eradicate Hydra from the midst of S.H.I.E.L.D., to identify the traitors in the Academy and help wherever I can in identifying them in S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. But I will still have fun, of coarse. Maybe even a tad too much fun. I mean, I'm going to be training with the Black Widow and Hawkeye, who just happen to also be my badass parents.

I feel my whole body shake as the plane I am sitting on touches down. I look opposite me and see my mum speaking into her mobile — she looks angry.

"Mum?" I ask cautiously. "What's wrong, why are you angry?" She sighs.

"I'm sure I wasn't the only one that noticed our landing was rough, I'm sure you noticed as well, yes?" I nod my head in answer. "Yes, well I was curious so I called Clint. He said his co-pilot attacked him. That he lost focus causing the disturbance as we landed. I'm just so sick of Hydra being everywhere. Why couldn't they stay dead after Rogers took them down the first time? Why couldn't they be normal people and stop prodding around in others business? Why couldn't they be on the good side, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s side? Why do they have to go and damage everything pure?" Seeing my mother break down before my eyes, it was heartbreaking. I felt something, something I had never felt before. I felt the need and desire to kill every single Hydra agent alive. I felt the strong urge to make them pay for making the mentally and physically strong women sitting opposite me feel that way. I guess that's what love feels like. I take the belt buckling me in off and walk over in front of my mum.

"Hey, mum. It doesn't matter that Hydra is out there, infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. because no matter what happens, I'll always support you. You and Dad, of coarse. I will always love you, no matter what. Hydra can't stand in the way of that, they can't ruin something as precious as that because the strength of love — our love — is way stronger than any force they could ever even think of creating."

"You know exactly what to say. I love you Skye, I love you so much. Nothing will stand between me and the love I have for you. I used to believe that love was for children, that it was a weakness, but now I know, love is the strongest strength." Mum smiles and we both stand. Hand in hand, we walk out of the plane.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

The Academy is huge. It is bigger than the Whitehouse and Avengers Tower combined.

"Oh, holy. This place is massive. I am so going to get lost." I say, voicing my thoughts. Mum chuckles, its a beautiful sound.

"Agent Romanoff! Cadet Corvey!" I hear someone calling from behind me. I turn around and see Dad and some tall women with a strong build walk towards me.

"Ah, it's showtime. They don't know your our daughter, you have to pretend not to know us personally. Cover — we picked you up at the Hub because Director Fury thought you might be a good asset to S.H.I.E.L.D. and since Agent Barton and I were on our way here we gave you a lift." Mum said.

Nat extended her hand to the woman.

"Agent Romanoff, how good it is to see you." The woman said.

"And you as well, Headmistress Doone." Nat replied. "Doone, this is Skye Corvey. We picked her up at the Hub when we were on our way here. Director Fury thought the Academy could turn her into a useful asset." I extend my hand to shake the professor's.

"Ah, good, we need a few more communication agents. I'm sure if we train you hard you could become a useful agent, Cadet Corvey." She said to me. I was offended, she didn't think I had what it took to become a field agent.

"Actually, Headmistress Doone, I'm here for both Operations and Communications." I say clenching my teeth.

"Is that so, and what makes you think that I am going to let you into my Academy?" She asks, really beginning to test my patience.

"Oh, you know, just that fact that Director Fury himself has asked, well, more ordered, me to attend S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Operations and Communications Academy." I say, pulling out my entry form with all my details on it as well as the pirate's signature, confirming my acceptance into the school.

"Very well, welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Ops and Admin Academy. But know this Corvey, you step one foot out of line and I will expel you. Is that understood, Cadet?"

"Yes, madam." I mock solute her.

The headmistress turns and walks back towards the campus, with Dad in trail. Mum and I hang back a bit.

"Skye," she says, "first up, I want you to investigate her. We need to know if this Academy is even under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control. She seems off-putting. At S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, we try to appease the students and make them happy by being happy. Doone has just demonstrated that she doesn't value that. I want to know if we can trust her to stay loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. or if she is a traitor and needs to be moved to the fridge. And Skye, we can't seem like we know each other here, there are cameras everywhere. If you need to talk to us about something, knock two times on my desk when you enter my classroom. Make sure it is discrete though. I will organise a way to talk." I nod my head in understanding. We walk off, following Doone and Dad… no, Barton, not Dad. They aren't my parents they are my instructors here. I can't pretend like I don't know them if I keep thinking about them as my parents.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

We walk into a hall, I take my seat with the rest of the students, while Romanoff disappears in the crowd. None of the students around me acknowledge my presence. I feel offended but one thought slips into my head that turns my unemotional face into one presenting a smile. _That is going to change soon — before the week is out I will be known throughout the whole school. I will make my parents proud, and I will not live down their reputation._

Doone walks up onto the elevated platform at the end of hall.

"Good Evening Cadets. I am Headmistress Michelle Doone and I will be overseeing the tuition of every singe cadet seated in this room. Many of you have been here for a fortnight now, and I know that you will be getting anxious — even curious — to know why none of your classes have begun. I can imagine the urge many of you to-be-scientists and researchers are feeling to use the labs, the desire all you to-be-desk agents are feeling to perhaps hack into something using our advanced technology, and the want you to-be-field agents are feeling to get learning on how to throw a punch and beat the crap out of people for the betterment of society." Doone's voice raids the hall with the assistance of the lectern. "I stand up here this evening for two reasons. The first is to inform you that the last of your instructors have arrived, so therefore S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy will officially commence tomorrow.

The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has removed three of our greatest agents from the field to teach in their areas of expertise. He has also requested that two of the best consultants, ones we often associate with with the three said agents, teach here at the Academy in their specialised fields. And to top it off, when a certain consultant and asset is in town, he will assist in the education of his field. Students new and old, you will be the first to be taught by these high-level agents and consultants. It is going to be hard. For students who have been training with us for sometime, what you have been put through already will seem like a piece of pie. Without further ado let me present to you the Avengers." Looking around me, I see the faces of many students demonstrating awe, respect and excitement. "Cadets, Professor Steve Rogers — Captain America." On cue Steve walks up onto the platform. Whistles are heard floating throughout the hall. "Professor Rogers will be working on helping each and every one of his lucky students develop their strength and he will be teaching you the most effective way to box. Do you have any words that you wish to share with those who are to be your students.?" The captain walks up to the lectern and nods his head in thanks to the Headmistress.

"Well," he clears his throat, "where to begin. I guess the start is a good place to begin. When I was a young boy, I was always picked on by the bullies of my school — I was a small boy, a perfect target for them. This led to me wanting to make a difference, to wanting to stop the bullies of the world. I signed up for experimentation. There was this group of scientists including Howard Stark himself, — one of the founders of the original S.H.I.E.L.D. —they were experimenting on willing volunteers, trying to create a formula that enhanced a persons strength, agility, and pain tolerance. Anyway, I'm sure many of you know my life story — the point is, if you are joining S.H.I.E.L.D. because you want to cause pain and damage to others, or because you want to fulfil your own selfish desires, I am giving you this one chance to either change your ways or leave. I look forward to teaching many go you."

"Thank you Professor Rogers." Doone says as Steve walks off the stage and sits down amongst the other instructors. "Cadets, Professor Natasha Romanoff — The Black Widow." I watch as my mum walks up on stage, a huge grin making its way onto my face. "Professor Romanoff will be teaching hand-to-hand combat and espionage, and might I just add, I have never seen, not to mention even heard of, someone who is as talented as Romanoff in these areas. Is there anything you wish to say?"

"There is one thing." She says and walks up to the lectern. "For those who might be looking forward to being taught by the Black Widow herself, I'm going to make you regret ever thinking that. Things are going to be difficult and extremely hard for my students, there are going to be times, I assure you, when you are going to want to just give up, but I urge you to keep going — that is what makes the best agents. Due to this whole scenery being new to me, I have asked a dear friend, who was taking some time off after a traumatising event in the field, to help me with hand-to-hand combat. During her time her she will go by Professor Melinda May — The Cavalry." I watch as Professor Romanoff steps away from the lectern and Professor May steps up onto the platform and makes her way over to the lectern.

"There is only one things I will say, and I suggest you take it as a warning or else fear to end up in medical, never, ever, call me the Cavalry." Her voice is deathly cold.

"Um, thank you Professor May, I think." Doone says as she steps in front of the lectern once more. May and Romanoff take this as their cue to leave the 'stage' and join the other instructors at their table. "As well as assisting Professor Romanoff, Professor May will be taking another class, an elective, in piloting S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment. That class will only be available after second semester commences and then only to the top achieving students that show the right potential. Professor May will be hand-picking these students herself.

"Anyway, moving on to our next Avenger, Professor Clinton Barton — Hawkeye." As per usual, Dad walks onto the platform as his codename is announced. "As I'm sure you can imagine, Professor Barton will be taking classes in archery, but on top of that, he will be taking lessons in gun use. Any words for your students Professor Barton?" I'm not sure what I was expecting Professor Barton to do, but I was half-expecting him to join in with the routine like the others and give a small speech so when he shook his head and walked over to sit next to his partner, I was shocked.

"Okay, well, moving on, I suppose." The headmistress says. "Cadets, so far all of your instructors have been for operations, so lets give our science Cadets some in-site. So, Cadets, Professor Bruce Banner — The Hulk." Around me I hear a few gasps and, from who I can only imagine are the science students, cheers and whistles. Banner walks up and stands next to Doone. "Professor Banner is an all-round brilliant scientist but due to him yet to invent clones of himself or something that can make him be in more than one place at once, he will only be taking his two favourite areas — those being, Biochemistry and Engineering. Is there anything you wish to say Professor Banner?"

"There is so much I wish to say, but if I start I won't stop. Therefore, it is safer for all the brilliant minds in front of me if I don't go on. Do not fret though, because during our first week of lessons, you most likely wont be able to get me to stop talking. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have, and, oh lord, I'm taking again so I'm just going to stop now, turn to my right and walk off this stage and into my seat." Banner says, his humour earning many laughs from the audience.

"Moving on, it is my absolute pleasure to present to you, Professor Tony Stark — Iron Man." I wait for him to appear on the platform next to Doone, but he doesn't show. "Professor Stark, that is your cue to walk up those stairs in front of you and make your way across the stage.

"Is that any way to introduce me, chelley? I would appreciate a proper introduction before I make my grand entrance." A voice calls and I can see Doone visibly give in after a single call.

"It gives me great pride and pleasure to present to you the son of one of the founders of the original S.H.I.E.L.D., Cadets, the one and only billionaire, playboy, _, Professor Tony Stark — Iron Man." This time he shows, strutting across the platform and standing next to Doone. I roll my eyes. "Science Cadets, while Professor Banner will be taking some engineering classes, Professor Stark, here, will be taking the others. I believe I have kept you Communications Cadets waiting long enough. Professor Stark will also be teaching Computer Sciences." Stark moves to stand in front of the lectern but is stopped before he gets there by a hand placed gently on his chest. "Professor Stark, I know you well enough not to let you take the mic. Please take a seat alongside your fellow instructors." Stark pouts, but obeys.

"Now Cadets, it really is my great pleasure to present you with a part-time instructor's-aid. Professor Thor — The Asguardian God." Thor makes his way on stage and they only thing I can think of is what I would do if I got my human hands on him. Oh, holy, he is dreamy. "Professor Thor, when on Earth, has agreed to assist Professor Tanya Rose in teaching S.H.I.E.L.D. Codes and Protocols, 084s, and Asgard history. Any words?" She steps aside.

"Only five. God do I love Midguard." He says, his voice so muscular, before walking off the platform.

"Now that all our new instructors have been introduced, let me get on with the second thing I mentioned. All of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's rules, thats right, all of them."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**I know, I know, I'm sorry. But I promise, next chapter, the team will come in. Even if I make it the longest chapter I've written, I will include the team. Please Follow, Favourite, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Eight:**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Eight ~ Meeting The Acc Team**

After returning to my allocated room, I had only one desire, to sleep. It had been a long day, and after having to listen endlessly to the Academy's countless rules, I was bushed. I flop back onto the bed, my head hitting the pillow and within seconds, I was searching for holes in my eyelids. Sleep had arrived.


	8. Chapter 8

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

**Chapter Five:** When Skye is about to pack her stuff for the Academy, she senses people listening outside the door and she tells her parents. They usher her to hide while they confront the three boys at the door, knocking two unconscious and questioning the third. Skye runs facial recognition on the boys and shoots the conscious one with the ICER gun.

**Chapter Six: **When Skye, Natasha and Clint are about to head off to the Communications and Operations Academy, they are called into Director Fury's office where a very concerning issue is discussed. Nick has found reason to believe that Hydra is not dead and that they are in fact buried deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D., this news is shared with them and Maria. Skye is going to the Academy to seek out the Hydra sleeper agents and eradicate The Red Skulls presence from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's and bases. Skye shares her history with them and they discover that Agent John Garrett, one of Nick's most trusted agents, is Hydra.

**Chapter Seven: **Skye arrives at the Academy and is introduced to the Headmistress, Michelle Doone, who doesn't like Skye. Every student in the Academy is assembled in the hall and introduced to the new instructors — the Avengers and Cavalry.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"Now that all our new instructors have been introduced, let me get on with the second thing I mentioned. All of S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's rules, thats right, all of them."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Eight ~ Meeting The Acc Team**

After returning to my allocated room, I had only one desire, to sleep. It had been a long day, and after having to listen endlessly to the Academy's countless rules, I was bushed. I flop back onto the bed, my head hitting the pillow and within seconds, I was searching for holes in my eyelids. Sleep had arrived.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

The following morning I woke up at 0500 hours — classes start at 0600 hours. After getting dressed, I opened the door leading out to the hall. On the ground, I find an envelope. I pick it up and walk over to the desk next to my bed. Opening it, I read:

_Cadet Skye Corvey,_

_At S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, we expect every student to study at least one subject from the three fields — Operations, Communications, and Science. Your group has been assigned to our FirstAid course in the Science division, De-briefing in the Communications division, and Strength Improvement in the Operations division._

_We also split our students up into groups of six. You have been assigned into a group that will consist of the following Cadets:_

_Leopold Fitz_

_Jemma Simmons_

_Skye Corvey_

_Grant Ward_

_Lance Hunter_

_Antonio Triplett_

_Your team's SO (supervising officer) is Professor Natasha Romanoff. See her with any dramas you have._

_You are required to learn how to trust your group members — you do not have to be-friend them, but you need to develop trust between each and every one of you — it will be necessary for ALL of the group activities you will undertake at the Academy._

_Regards,_

_Headmistress Michelle Doone_

After reading the letter, my breathing becomes shallow, I'm on the verge of a panic attack and I know it. I can barely breathe, 'what the hell is Grant doing at S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, he and John are Hydra? Oh holy, no, no, this can't be happening — he's here to take down S.H.I.E.L.D. for Hydra's uprising. Oh holy.' I think.

Behind the letter is another piece of paper — a timetable. Reading through it I see my first two subjects for today — hand-to-hand combat — and period three and four — espionage — with Mum, no, with Professor Romanoff.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

Walking into the gym, which is where hand-to-hand combat classes are being held, I notice Professor Romanoff sitting behind the desk placed at the front of the room. The rest of the room is filled with sparring mats, boxing rings, and equipment. This being the first lesson, of the first day, I have no idea where I am supposed go or what I am supposed to do. I don't have to be in distress for long though because not 20 seconds later, Romanoff is speaking.

"Now I am going to ask you to come up to my desk in an orderly fashion to receive your Cadet ID cards. Once you have yours you are to scan it on this device on my desk. By doing this, you are alerting Admin that you are present in class. Now come collect your ID's so we can start learning the real stuff." In an orderly fashion, we all do as she instructs. I am at the back of the line. Once I make it to the table, I look straight into the Professors' eyes and knock twice on the desk before looking down and finding my ID, scanning it, and walking away.

"Before we start, I want everyone to make sure their water bottles are full and their bladders are empty — there will be no stops, at least not without punishment." Romanoff says before walking out of the room, many of us — including myself — in trail. I make sure I am at the back of the crowd so that I can hopefully talk to her. "Bathrooms that way," she says pointing to the left, "bubblers that way." She points to the right.

Once everyone had dispersed I walked up to the senior agent.

"Skye, how can there be a problem already — it's your first day?" She says in a hushed tone.

"Grant Ward, he's at the Academy. And as if it wasn't bad enough that he's here, he is in the same freaking group as me." The expression on my mother's face changed from one of annoyance to fear — most likely for me. "I just wanted to let you know." I say quickly before turning around and walking back to the gym. As I walk through the door Professor May gives me a piece of paper with a number on it.

"There are two of each number. There are fourteen numbers. Your number is seven. Number seven is already here, over there, go get to know him." She instructs while pointing to a male with his back to the door.

"Yes Ma'am." I say as I turn around and walk towards were she directed. "Number seven?" I say. "The Cavalry sent me over here to get to know you, so… who are you?" He turns around and I shrink back. "Grant. Oh holy, no. What the hell are you doing here? Scratch that, I know why your here, unless of course you have forgotten what you did to me. Forgotten that I was there, listening to John lecture you about your assignment while you beat me — used me as a freaking punching bag. I certainly have not forgotten. What do you think would happen to you if I was to tell two legendary S.H.I.E.L.D. agents — the Cavalry and Black Widow themselves — about your true alliances, that you are actually working for Hydra?" I whisper harshly, I turn and take a step away from him before I feel his hand on my bicep. His fingers curl around my arm and I find myself trapped in his grip — in his hand that had caused so much damage to me previously. I turn around. "Grant! Remove your hand from my arm." He complies. "Don't ever touch me unless it is an absolute necessity for class activities."

"Mary-Sue, wait, please." He says.

"My name isn't Mary-Sue Poots. It's Skye, Skye Corvey."

"Okay, Skye, please, I am begging you, don't tell them about what happened, at least not until I can explain everything to you. Please Ma… Skye."

"Fine, you have until tomorrow morning before I talk to Professor Romanoff."

"Thank…"

"Don't thank me, this means noth…" I begin before being cut off by the voice of Professor May.

"Ok, Cadets, that is plenty of time to socialise and get to know your partner. Now we start the real fun — well for us it is fun, for you, probably not so much.

"Now Cadets, before we begin you are to address us by our last name, by adding the professor part it takes to long to say. The first step to hand-to-hand combat is fighting and the fist step to fighting is focus, knowing what your opponent is going to do as sooner before he does it. You need to learn how to plan quickly and improvise. You need to learn to think quick and take in your surroundings because there is no such thing as a fair fight. When going up against the enemy, they are going to use anything and everything they can, so to be able to defeat them you need to smart about how you approach them. We are going to get you started by blindfolding you and having your partner strike you as hard as they can. The parter who is blindfolded, your objective is to determine where they are by using your other senses. You won't always be able to see what your doing when your fighting. In your pairs, go to a sparring mat and chose who person 'a' is and who person 'b' is. You have a minute to decide."

There are fourteen mats and fourteen groups, so I walk over to the sparring mat labeled seven. We are standing at the mat for what feels like eternity, staring into each others eyes, waiting for each other to talk first. Grant breaks the silence.

"Do you want to be person 'a' or 'b'? I will be whichever you want me to be."

"I'll be person 'b'. You have no idea how much I want to hurt you, break you, snap every bone in your body until you are begging me to stop, begging me for forgiveness for the harm you caused me." I say, I was expecting him to retaliate, but he doesn't.

"I understand." He replies, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

"Ok, that's time up. At the beginning of each lesson you are to meditate for five minutes." May begins.

"What's that gonna do? Give you two a break from all the noise we might make?" A voice said behind me.

"What is your name Cadet?" Romanoff asks.

"Grant Ward." He speaks boldly and I can see my mum clench her fists. This can't end well for Grant, not now that she knows this is the boy who assaulted me — continuously.

"Well Cadet Ward, you just earned yourself the punishment of training with me. Your partner will be training with May. Your actions, speaking out of turn, have resulted in consequences for both you and your partner. I suggest you think before you speak in future, because you won't be the only one suffering. Now, apologise to May and your partner — what is your name Cadet?"

"Skye Corvey, Ma'am." I say.

"My sincerest apologies, May." He says.

"And to Cadet Corvey." Romanoff reminds.

"And to you of course, beautiful." He says with a smirk as his hand makes its way onto my ass and I slap him, hard. He goes to punch me back — instinct most likely — but his fist never reaches my face, instead it hits May's hand. I've had enough of both of you, Ward, the amount of respect you have shown is appalling and despite what he said Corvey, you should never have slapped him, you must learn to control your anger. I am going to escort the two of you to Headmistress Doone's office — and I will see you two after school, where you get to learn how to cooperate." May says as she turns, the both of us following behind her. We are about 20 steps out from the door when Romanoff calls.

"May, I'll take them — I am both of their SO so I guess this is my responsibility." May nods and turns to the rest of the class as we walk out following Romanoff. Although, before long I realise that she isn't taking us to see Doome, but actually back to her private office. Once inside, Romanoff turns and pushes Grant up against the wall, holding him there with her lower arm against his neck. I watch as he struggles, his air supply being limited. His face begins to turn a pale shade and his lips lose their colour.

"Professor Romanoff." I say but it's as if I'm not even there. "Romanoff, stop, you're cutting off his air. Natasha you're killing him. STOP, Nat." But still she doesn't stop, so I do the only thing I can think of, I go up to her ear and whisper something. "Stop, please. I know you hate him for everything he did to me before, but it you don't stop you're going to blow your cover." Still she doesn't listen. "Mum, please, stop, for me."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Well that is the eighth chapter done. I hope you liked it. I finally got around to introducing Ward. Although, I don't know how well I went when Skye saw Ward, so let me know what you think — I would love to hear your thoughts and I will reply to all the reviews that I am able to. Please Favourite, Follow, and/or Review. Below is a preview for Chapter Nine:**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Nine ~ Explanations**

It works, she looks at me and she removes her arm from his neck. Grant falls to the ground gasping for breath and clutching his throat. "Give us a minute? Please." I request and she hesitantly nods, leaving the room. I run over to Grant's slumped body and kneel down next to him.


	9. Chapter 9

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

**Chapter Five:** When Skye is about to pack her stuff for the Academy, she senses people listening outside the door and she tells her parents. They usher her to hide while they confront the three boys at the door, knocking two unconscious and questioning the third. Skye runs facial recognition on the boys and shoots the conscious one with the ICER gun.

**Chapter Six: **When Skye, Natasha and Clint are about to head off to the Communications and Operations Academy, they are called into Director Fury's office where a very concerning issue is discussed. Nick has found reason to believe that Hydra is not dead and that they are in fact buried deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D., this news is shared with them and Maria. Skye is going to the Academy to seek out the Hydra sleeper agents and eradicate The Red Skulls presence from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's and bases. Skye shares her history with them and they discover that Agent John Garrett, one of Nick's most trusted agents, is Hydra.

**Chapter Seven: **Skye arrives at the Academy and is introduced to the Headmistress, Michelle Doone, who doesn't like Skye. Every student in the Academy is assembled in the hall and introduced to the new instructors — the Avengers and Cavalry.

**Chapter Eight: **It is the first day of classes at the Academy. First up, Skye has Romanoff and May in hand-to-hand combat. When assigned a partner, Skye finds herself paired with no other than Grant Ward — the guy of her nightmares. May sends the two of them to see Headmistress Doone, but Romanoff ends up escorting them to her private office where she pins Ward to the wall, holding her arm against his throat, restricting his airways.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"Stop, please. I know you hate him for everything he did to me before, but it you don't stop you're going to blow your cover." Still she doesn't listen. "Mum, please, stop, for me."

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Nine ~ Explanations**

It works, she looks at me and she removes her arm from his neck. Grant falls to the ground gasping for breath and clutching his throat. "Give us a minute? Please." I request and she hesitantly nods, leaving the room. I run over to Grant's slumped body and kneel down next to him.

"Grant, Grant, are you ok?" I ask.

"You don't care, I know you hate me and I don't blame you. I would hate me as well — in fact, I do hate me." His voice laced with self-loathing.

"You're wrong." I say, my voice barley above a whisper.

"What?" He asks, looking up.

"I said that you are wrong. I don't hate you. I hate what you did for Christian and John, but never have I hated you. I'm scarred of you, yes, in fact I am terrified of you, but I don't hate you. I could never hate you for what you did while with Christian. I know that you were doing it to protect Thomas. And although, I don't know why you did what you did when you were in the woods with John, but I'm sure you had a reason." I explained.

Grant was about to respond when Romanoff walks back in.

"Ok, times up Ward, Corvey. Now before I take you both to see Headmistress Doone, I would love to have a private word you Ward, if you will Corvey?" She says looking over at me for confirmation. My forehead creases as I frown, but reluctantly I nod and walk out, waiting outside the door. Fortunately, they weren't exactly speaking in hushed tones, so I could hear everything.

_"__Professor Romanoff, what is it that you wanted to talk with me about, ma'am?" _Grant says nervously.

_"__Consider this you first and only warning Cadet Grant Ward, you will keep your hands off Skye and you will not talk to her unless she talks to you first. The only time you are allowed to touch her is when the two of you are sparring. In fact, stay away from all the girls in your classes. I know your kind and I do not respond kindly to them. I will be watching you closely — after all, I am your Supervising Officer. Do I make myself clear, Cadet?"_

_"__Y-yes, ma'am." _He responded.

_"__Good." _I hear her footsteps approaching.

_"__Ma'am, may I ask you something?"_

_"__That depends, Cadet."_

_"__Why are you protective of Skye?" _I hear him ask and I wonder what she is going to say. This is what I was talking about when I told her that she would blow our covers.

_"__If this were any other person, I would have their ass on bathroom duty for the term, but considering it's you I think I'll put yours on it for the remainder of the year. What do you say?" _I smirk, and stifle a chuckle. Go Mum.

_"__Please ma'am, I think I deserve to know, considering I'm her partner and you have already shown me that you are protective of her."_

_"__You are pushing your luck Cadet, but I'll tell you — only because I want to watch your facial expression when you hear me say it. The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. asked Barton and I to drop by the Hub on our way to the Academy and pick up a young girl, a future Cadet — Skye. While on the plane on the way here, she told me all about her being in the foster system, and all about you and the rest of the Wards. She also told me about you and Garrett in the woods. Oh and you should know, John Garrett is now at a secure S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility. Cadet Ward, I know about you and your affiliations with Hydra, although, before I turn you in I want to double check whether you are a traitor to S.H.I.E.L.D. or just a misguided teenager loyal to the man who left him in the woods for years. Now, get out, it is time to see Headmistress Doone." _How could she possibly be prepared to give him that chance.

"I assume you were listening to our conversation Cadet Corvey." Romanoff says.

"Yes, I was. Ma'am." I add.

"Yes, well, I hope you don't mind me sharing that information with Cadet Ward." She says, hoping she hasn't crossed any lines. Before I could respond Grant speaks up.

"Doone is Hydra." He says, his voice quiet.

"What was that?" Romanoff pries.

"You were right ma'am, I am loyal to John, I owe him my life. Before John dropped me off here, he made sure that I knew if I ever needed anything, or if I had met any good candidates that could be brainwashed into complying to Hydra's wishes, to talk to Headmistress Doone. I guess that means she is Hydra. Skye, I will do anything you tell me to, in order for me to make it up to you for what I did. I'm sorry Skye, honestly."

"I don't believe you, Grant. I might not hate you, but I definitely don't trust you."

"Ok, for the sake of your training, I'm taking the two of you to the Triskillian to talk with a shrink. I know you have every reason to feel the way you do about him Skye but you are going to have to trust him, you don't have to like him, but you will have to work together." Romanoff says avoiding looking at me. I guess that is most likely because of the expression printed across my face. Grant notices it though.

"It doesn't have to happen like that. I can see Skye doesn't feel comfortable with that, so as much as I want to fix the relationship Skye and I have, I don't want to push her." Grant notices, some of my expression but most of it is hurt that my mother of all people would try and get me to talk to him, especially when she knows how traumatised I was just recalling what happened.

"And how exactly do you think the two of you are going to be able to work collaboratively together? It requires trust."

"That's simple," he says and I look over confused, "I trust Skye not to do anything rash, and I'll do anything and everything Skye tells me to do."

"It's not that simple Grant. Trust needs to go both ways for us to work collaboratively together." I say. "It will be best for the both of us if we are to go and see said shrink. It's fine Grant, I'm used to adjusting to new situations and being put in ones that I don't feel comfortable in." Romanoff nods and starts walking, without being given any instructions, we follow.

"Just hang back here, I need to talk to Professor Romanoff. Don't eavesdrop, or I'll make you which you killed me when I was young and vulnerable."

"Skye, just telling me to hang back would have sufficed." I roll my eyes and walk up next to the senior agent.

"Mum." I whisper. "I can't believe you. I would think that you of all people wouldn't want me to even be in the same school, let along the same room when it's just the two of us and a useless shrink. You know given your history and all. Holy, you would think that you would be trying to finally start parenting me and doing what is best for me, but no — you're all strategic and shit. Maybe Nicky was right to banned relationships between agents, you are obviously too caught up with all this protocol crap that you don't know how to be a parent." Romanoff stops walking and turns to me.

"How dare you." She says, loud enough for Grant to hear. "You know, maybe you're right, but you haven't given me the chance to prove anything different to you."

"You had the chance, you could have come after me." I say, not bothering keep my voice down. "You and him could have done something, and as much as I do blame Nicky, I blame the two of you equally as much."

It seems that was her breaking point. She slapped me, hard, hard enough to knock me to the ground. My hand goes for my cheek. My eyes are watering but I have never been one to cry out, even when I was in my youth. I would never cry out when foster parents hurt me, I would stay silent so that they would keep their attention on me and not the other foster kids. I look up and see Grant running towards me.

"You stay exactly where you are." She says pointing to Grant with a harsh look on her face that made him freeze. "This is between Skye and myself, if you even think to repeat a word of this to anyone, I will find you and I will put a bullet between your eyes — after I torture you first." Turning back to face me on the ground she continues. "How dare you, there was nothing I wanted more than to keep you, your father and I both, but Fury wasn't prepared to risk the life of a child. Ever since that day that I gave birth to a perfect child and then lost her, there has been a darkness behind my eyes, there hasn't a day that has gone by where I haven't regretted the decision to give you up." I stand up, still holding my face in my hand.

"Maybe it would have been better if you were to have an abortion, instead of putting me in the system." She hits me again, on the other side this time and despite her telling Grant to stay where he was he still came for me. He helped me up, but I'm disgusted by his touch so I push his hands off me. He takes a step away from me and looks to the ground, I'm grateful for the space. "I'm sure Clint knows how abusive it can be. Almost every family I was sent to had alcoholics, and they were abusive when drunk. And then when I was sent to the Ward's, the parents didn't have to be drunk to be abusive, they just did it for the fun of it. And then Christian didn't have the balls to do it himself so he made Grant do it. That was the worst family I was sent to." I look over at Grant who's face holds pure regret.

"I'm so sorry, Skye. Can I ask one thing?" Grant says.

"Shut up Ward." Nat interrupts.

"No. I don't care what you say Professor Romanoff, my question was directed at Skye." He responds. Oh, holy hell, he did not just say that. My mother hates him, why would he speak out against her and make her hate him more.

"Grant, shut up." I tell him, removing my hands from my face. He nods at my orders. He was serious — he would do anything and everything I tell him to do. This could be very fun, — for me — the things I could make him do to suffer for what he did to me.

"Skye, you can't possibly understand how hard living without you has been. It has been hell, and I will never forgive myself for letting you go." she says before turning to Ward. "And I will never, forgive those who have hurt you while you were in the system." I don't see Grants response as I lose all vision. I fall to ground clutching my head, it's like the world is yelling at me. I can hear everything — the thoughts in people's heads, the shuffling of people's shoes against the ground, the beakers in the science room being placed gently on the lab benches. I scream.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Well that's it. I'll be back next Thursday with the next chapter. Please Review — I would love to hear your thoughts. Below is a preview for Chapter Ten:**

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Ten ~ Breaking Out**

_(Grant Ward's Point Of View)_

"Ward, get Barton, he's in room 'SOA 2' at the moment." Romanoff instructs me, so now after projecting how much she hates me, she wants me to help. "And Ward, please hurry. Tell him that Skye's breaking out. He'll know what it means." I nod and run off, down the hall to find Professor Barton.

Once I find the room, I knock on the door and wait for Barton to come to me.

"You should be in class, what do you want Cadet?" He says harshly, well that is no way to treat someone who is trying to help him.

"It's Skye, your daughter, Romanoff said something about her breaking out." He pushes past me and rushes down the hall, the right hall, this makes me think 'how can he possibly know where he's going?'. I sigh and rush after him. I didn't need to worry about him losing his way, before long he was rushing into the same hall that Romanoff and Skye were in.

"Why didn't you call to me?" His question confuses me.

"I was angry, you know how difficult it is to use telepathy when your angry." I am so, so, very confused. "Anyway, that doesn't matter, what matters is that Skye is breaking out."


	10. Chapter 10

**Previously in 'Are You Really Real, Or Another Fake?':**

**Chapter One: **Maria Hill and Phil Coulson find Skye and bring her in to S.H.I.E.L.D. where she will train to become an agent. Victoria Hand assigns Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton to be her Supervising Officers. Nat grows to like Skye a lot but will Clint be the same.

**Chapter Two: **Natasha, Clint and Skye sit down and talk, which lead to the discovery of Skye's parents - the great Black Widow and Hawkeye. But this leads to questions: 'why and how could Fury keep this from us?', 'How is Skye an 084, when her parents are obviously human?'. The three of them seek out Fury and storm into his office demanding answers. He gives them.

**Chapter Three:** Fury tells Skye about what injections they have had after being captured multiple times which leads to the reason of how she isn't human and is an 084. Fury explains how he has strong beliefs that she will inherit many of her parents powers at certain ages - twenty-one and twenty-four. Natasha begins her story.

**Chapter Four: **Natasha finishes her story and Clint tells his. Skye learns a heap about her parents history and tears were shed.

**Chapter Five:** When Skye is about to pack her stuff for the Academy, she senses people listening outside the door and she tells her parents. They usher her to hide while they confront the three boys at the door, knocking two unconscious and questioning the third. Skye runs facial recognition on the boys and shoots the conscious one with the ICER gun.

**Chapter Six: **When Skye, Natasha and Clint are about to head off to the Communications and Operations Academy, they are called into Director Fury's office where a very concerning issue is discussed. Nick has found reason to believe that Hydra is not dead and that they are in fact buried deep inside S.H.I.E.L.D., this news is shared with them and Maria. Skye is going to the Academy to seek out the Hydra sleeper agents and eradicate The Red Skull's presence from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy's and bases. Skye shares her history with them and they discover that Agent John Garrett, one of Nick's most trusted agents, is Hydra.

**Chapter Seven: **Skye arrives at the Academy and is introduced to the Headmistress, Michelle Doone, who doesn't like Skye. Every student in the Academy is assembled in the hall and introduced to the new instructors — the Avengers and Cavalry.

**Chapter Eight: **It is the first day of classes at the Academy. First up, Skye has Romanoff and May in hand-to-hand combat. When assigned a partner, Skye finds herself paired with no other than Grant Ward — the guy of her nightmares. May sends the two of them to see Headmistress Doone, but Romanoff ends up escorting them to her private office where she pins Ward to the wall, holding her arm against his throat, restricting his airways.

**Chapter Nine: **Skye begs Romanoff to let Ward go and after a while she does. Ward promises Skye that he would do anything and everything she tells him to do, in hope of redeeming himself in her eyes. While walking through the halls of the Academy, Skye and Romanoff have an argument that become very loud very fast. When Romanoff gets angry, she slaps Skye, so hard she falls to the ground. Later in their argument, Skye breaks out.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

"Skye, you can't possibly understand how hard living without you has been. It has been hell, and I will never forgive myself for letting you go." she says before turning to Ward. "And I will never, forgive those who have hurt you while you were in the system." I don't see Grants response as I lose all vision. I fall to ground clutching my head, it's like the world is yelling at me. I can hear everything — the thoughts in people's heads, the shuffling of people's shoes against the ground, the beakers in the science room being placed gently on the lab benches. I scream.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

**Chapter Ten ~ Breaking Out**

_(Grant Ward's Point Of View)_

"Ward, get Barton, he's in room 'SOA 2' at the moment." Romanoff instructs me, so now after projecting how much she hates me, she wants me to help. "And Ward, please hurry. Tell him that Skye's breaking out. He'll know what it means." I nod and run off, down the hall to find Professor Barton.

Once I find the room, I knock on the door and wait for Barton to come to me.

"You should be in class, what do you want Cadet?" He says harshly, well that is no way to treat someone who is trying to help him.

"It's Skye, your daughter, Romanoff said something about her breaking out." He pushes past me and rushes down the hall, the right hall, this makes me think 'how can he possibly know where he's going?'. I sigh and rush after him. I didn't need to worry about him losing his way, before long he was rushing into the same hall that Romanoff and Skye were in.

"Why didn't you call to me?" His question confuses me.

"I was angry, you know how difficult it is to use telepathy when your angry." I am so, so, very confused. "Anyway, that doesn't matter, what matters is that Skye is breaking out."

"She isn't of age yet, though. Fury said she wouldn't break out until she was twenty-one, Skye's only just turned twenty."

"Doesn't matter right now, we need to get Skye to Fury." Romanoff cuts through Barton, urgency evident in her voice.

"I'm coming with you." I speak up and refuse to take 'no' for an answer.

"No you are not." Romanoff says.

"No offence, but I am pretty sure I know your daughter better than the two of you do. And to be fair, Skye's now unconscious because of the pain she was in, so I don't think we should be standing around arguing about whether I'm coming or not. I am going with you, and that is all there is to say, ma'am."

"Skye wouldn't want you there and you know it."

"I am going."

"Nat, we don't have time for this, he's obviously determine about coming with us, and he already knows we're Skye's parents, let him come." Barton says. I can tell he just wants to help Skye.

"Fine, but you stay in my sight at all times. I don't know what you hope to achieve but I will put a bullet between your eyes if you try anything at all." Romanoff threatens. I nod my head, wanting to leave.

I follow Skye's parents out to a small plane, Skye in Barton's arms. We strap into the seats and take off. I watch the two senior agents as Barton looks over at Romanoff and she nods without looking at him. I watch as Barton frowns.

"Ask the Cadet." Romanoff says as she unbuckles her belt and heads out of the cockpit pulling a phone from her pocket. I watch as Barton presses some buttons on the dashboard and turn to face me.

"Why is Nat telling me to ask you how she knows that Doone is supposedly Hydra? But before you answer that, what's your name Cadet?" He asks me and I get the feeling I'm about to be strangled again.

"Don't hurt me, sir." I say, sinking back in my seat.

"What would give me the reason to hurt you, kid?" He asks me and I swallow.

"I'm Grant Ward." I was going to continue but I choice not to when I see Barton's expression. He doesn't blink, he doesn't move. I am terrified. Shit, Skye said something about Barton knowing that the system was bad. Oh shit, Barton grew up in the system. Oh crap, shit. I'm gonna have it worse with Barton than I did with Romanoff. Shit. I am so dead. Barton moves his hand down to the buckle and unclasps his belt, slowly standing up and moving towards me. I unclasp my belt and stand up as well, moving backwards.

"Turn around and walk." He instructs and I oblige.

"Sir, please don't hurt me."

"Keep walking scumbag. Take a right here." I follow his orders. "And another right here, walk straight and open that door and walk in." I find myself inside a box, with beehive like walls.

"Romanoff taught me my lesson, I swear. Sir please, I'm begging you, don't hurt me, please, sir."

"Why shouldn't I, after all, you did put my daughter through hell? Why shouldn't I put a bullet between your eyes?" I gulp as he pulls his gun out, flicking the safety off. If this were any other person I wouldn't be fearing for my life but because this is the father of the girl I abused twice for two different people I am dreadful of what he might do to me. I had to think of something to save my own skin. Think Grant Douglass Ward, think. I'm wrecking at my brain trying to think of anything to say, anything that could get me out of this situation. "Don't have anything to say you filthy scumbag? Didn't think so, you know that you deserve nothing more than death." I watch in fear as he raises his arm and points the gun at me.

"Wait!" I say, remembering when Romanoff was threatening to steal my life.

"What was that?" He questions, his gun still trained on me.

"Wait, sir. When Professor Romanoff found out who I was, she was cutting off my air supply."

"What does this have to do with why I shouldn't put a bullet between your eyes?" He interrupted.

"Well, sir, Skye was practically begging Romanoff not to kill me, I doubt that she would be very happy if I was to die by the hand of her father after the effort she went through to get her mother to listen to her."

"I see your point scumbag, but that doesn't stop me from shooting you in other places."

_Bang. _I fall to the ground, a bullet in my leg.

"Agh." I scream, but I hear another scream. A female scream — Skye. I watch, helplessly, as Barton runs back to the cockpit.

_(Skye Corvey's Point Of View)_

"Agh." I scream, my body in agony.

"Skye, Skye, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" I hear my father's voice.

"I'll be fine, although I would be better if you and Grant calmed down." I say, my breath hitching as I do.

"What will that achieve?" He asks in confusion.

"I probably should have told you this before — I'm an empath. But not only that, when in the woods, John had Grant and I get to know each other, he told us to prick our index fingers and rub them against each other's so we would have each others blood running through each others veins. He wanted Grant to get attached to me before he ordered him to hurt me, anyway, that led to me being able to feel whatever Grant feels. For every bone that he has broken, I have felt the pain of it without any evidence of harm appearing on my own skin, every bullet he has been hit by, I have felt it, every time John beat him, I felt it. Sometimes it only lasts for a few moments, other times it lasts until Grant stops feeling it, and sometimes I feel the pain for longer than him — but due to not actually, physically, getting hurt, I can't pass out."

"Oh shit, crap, Skye, I'm so sorry. I didn't know, I'm sorry, so, so sorry."

"Dad, it's fine, I didn't tell you, this is my own fault. Although, if you feel like helping, give Grant something to help with the pain and fix up his bullet wound. Also, don't tell Grant I'm an empath or that I have felt everything that he has." I say, still in pain but trying to hide it so my dad doesn't feel so guilty.

"Nat, Nat. Get down to the Cage. Ward is in there and he needs medical attention now and get down there fast. Don't argue with me, just do it Nat." Dad yells, knowing what my mother would say.

"Dad, he is going to need the both of you to get him to the lab, so that one of you can remove the bullet from his leg while the other holds him down. Only once before has a bullet not gone straight through, it stopped at his Fibula." I look at my father concern in his eyes. I am screaming at myself inside, I need him to leave, to help Grant. "Dad, go, I'll be fine." He nods and runs out of the cockpit.

_'__Please put him under sedation. Holy, the pain, it would be unbearable for Grant. I will still feel it, but it won't be as severe and he won't, not if he's sedated.'_ I think.

(_Clinton Barton's Point Of View)_

I am running down the hallways of the small plane when I hear her voice in my head. It makes me smile, despite the situation that Nat and I are now able to telepathically connect for the first time. Although, my smile is short lived, she was still feeling everything he was. She hid it so well, her eyes looked pain free, God, how much had she been put through in the system.

I find myself outside the Cage, Grant still inside and Nat walking slowly.

_'__Natasha Alianovna Romanoff, I told you to get down here fast, God, the one damn time you needed to listen to me. I shot him, in the leg, with a real bullet and he is in pain and to top it off Skye is an empath and somehow she feels everything that Ward does. Our daughter is in pain Natasha and you and are dawdling down here. I would have expected you to trust me Nat and just do as I asked when I was obviously being extremely serious and that was evident in my voice.' _I yell telepathically at her and her eyes widen, fear and regret showing in them. She turns to leave but I stop her.

"No, Nat, there is nothing that we can do to help Skye other than get Ward out of pain." I say and she nods, moving towards Ward's fallen body.

"You take his other side, lets get him to the lab." She instructs and I oblige.

##AreYouReallyReal,OrAnotherFake?##

(_Grant Ward's Point Of View_)

It is mid afternoon when I return to consciousness. The plane I am on has stopped moving — we must have landed at the Triskilian. Looking around me, I find myself in the lab I remember walking past when first getting on the plane, to the left of me is Skye, sitting in a chair asleep. I smile, she looks so beautiful when she's asleep. I feel a blush work its way onto my cheeks when she opens her eyes.

"I feel you are no longer in pain, time to talk Grant. Remember, you have till tomorrow morning to explain yourself." She says, her hazel eyes not leaving mine.

"And I promise I will, but I have one question first." I reply hopefully.

"Ask away, Grant."

"You said you feel that I am no longer in pain, what is that supposed to mean?" I ask, absolutely puzzled.

"Ah, you picked up on that, hey. You see, I would say that it was a slip of the tongue but I know you would believe that for a moment, so out with the truth I guess. I am an empath and after John had you and me prick our fingers and transfer our blood I could feel everything that you felt, every beating you took, every bullet, everything. I feel you Grant as creepy as that sounds."

"Well, you already feel me emotionally, how 'bout I let you really feel me? As long as I can feel you back that is." I wink.

"No, Grant, no, that's just foul. I will never sleep with you. Oh and for the record. You would never be feeling me back anyway, I am one to take control between the sheets."

"Never say never, Skye." I smirk.

"Whatever, Grant. I'm really sick of you. Now you better get explaining because I am seriously considering walking out of here and not talking to you till after the deadline."

"Okay, okay. Sorry, I fell into the alias I'm supposed to be using. I'm sorry, I will try not to do that with you. Anyway, what do you want to know?" I ask, shame filling me with the thought of having to talk to the woman I abused about why I did it.

"Tell me how you became affiliated with Hydra."

"John. He saved me from a hellhole. He pulled me from a bad situation."

"Explain." She instructs shortly.

"Christian framed me for some bad things he did and told my parents. Of coarse, they had to keep up their public image so they sent me to military school. There were lots of other people there, people who had done some really terrible things. During my time there, I trained so hard, I took notes on everything, I did surveillance every night. I was plotting my escape. After a while, the opportunity presented itself and I stole a General's car driving back to my house. My parents were out, but my brother was home. Using the skills I was taught, I set the house on fire. I was caught and sent to juvenile. This is when John came into the equation. He visited me and told me that my parents were trying to charge me with arson and attempted murder, and that my brother was trying to get me trailed as an adult. He said he could make me a man, make me somebody that no-one would ever mess with. He told me that it would be fun but the most difficult thing I had ever done and he gave me ten seconds to choose. Ten seconds to decide whether or not I would go with him, but if I chose to stay he said I would never see him again, that he would be done with me. I chose to go with him. After that he left me in the woods with Buddy as my only company, telling me that he would be back in six months to see how I was fairing. That's when he brought you. You know the rest. Skye, please, I owe John my life. He saved me from having to go to jail and see the mocking glares of my family whenever they felt like shoving it in my face. And then in the woods, he taught me how to defend myself, I owe him my life, please, don't let that be in vain."

**Well, that is Chapter Ten, let me know what you think. Just a warning that updates will be slower, considering I started back at school on Tuesday and I have already had so much more responsibility on my shoulders than previously due to being named Middle School Captain. Chapter Eleven won't be up until I go back on holidays. Regardless, and as evil as it is, below is the preview for Chapter Eleven:**

**Chapter Eleven ~ Grant Meets Fury**

(_Skye Corvey's Point Of View_)

"He might have pulled you from a hellhole, but he put you in another one, worse than the one you were already in. Let me pull you from this one Grant and I promise I won't put you in another one. Nick is strict, and scary, he's going to want to put you through multiple interrogations even if you are willing to give up any information you have, but I promise I will protect you."

"Nick? As in Director Fury?" Grant says, fear covering his face.


End file.
